The Winner Takes It All
by Ruthie
Summary: Everyone deals with grief in their own way. Jack shuts everyone out, Sam buries herself in paperwork...Jonas gets a flashy car.


Title: The Winner Takes It All  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers: Meridian, Revelations, Redemption 1 & 2, Nightwalkers  
  
Summary: Everyone deals with grief in their own way. Jack shuts everyone out, Sam buries herself in paperwork...and Jonas gets a flashy car.  
  
Author Notes: Long fic, UST, Sam/Jonas, Humour, Drama/Romance  
  
Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognised characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.  
  
~ The Winner Takes It All ~  
  
Copyright (c) 2003, Ruth  
  
**********  
  
Jack sighed and leant back in his chair, rubbing at his strained eyes and wishing that he could go home to bed and just sleep, far away from the problems of the SGC and the death of his friend. Far away from Carter's maddening sadness and Teal'c's quietness but most of all, far away from the total stranger who he'd been forced to place on his team.  
  
Jonas Quinn.  
  
He didn't know him, he sure as hell didn't like him, hell - the only reason he was on SG-1 was because of the threat of a Russian officer joining them. Jack didn't want to work with him, didn't want to waste any of his precious time on Jonas Quinn.   
  
As far as he was concerned, Daniel would still be alive if it weren't for him.  
  
He grunted in annoyance as he heard and felt his knee crack, a small jolt of pain going up his leg.   
  
Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, there was a knock on the door of his office. With a sigh, he called out that it was open and watched as his 2IC walked into the room.  
  
She looked terrible. Pale and tired, her every muscle radiated fatigue and her once bright eyes were dark, with dark circles beneath them. Even so, he could find no sympathy for her.  
  
"I don't want to hear it, Carter," he said softly, knowing that she was about to launch into a tirade about how they couldn't just pretend that nothing had happened with Daniel, and he didn't trust himself to listen to her without shouting.  
  
"But, sir -"  
  
"Carter!" he said, suddenly filled with more anger than he'd intended, "Would you get out and leave me the hell alone!?"  
  
She swallowed and obediently left, shutting the door with a soft click behind her.  
  
Part of him ached for her - wanted to run out of the door and collect her in his arms and hold her forever.  
  
The other part was glad - he would be alone, not having to worry about hurting the feelings of another human being.  
  
**********  
  
Jonas absently flicked through the TV channels, one hand in a bowl of dried cornflakes that he'd managed to charm from the commissary and the other on the remote. He stopped and gazed curiously at the screen when it bombarded him with bright lights, loud music and a lot of people who looked very happy. There were whirling machines and men playing with pieces of card, but he didn't understand what they were doing. Back on Kelowna he had barely had time to sleep, let alone socialise and enjoy recreation. He munched on another fistful of cornflakes as he contemplated the scene before him, surprised to hear a soft knock at the door of his room. He didn't get visitors - those members of his supposed 'team' were still struggling to get used to him, and he understood that - what he didn't understand was why anybody would be visiting him so late at night. With a small jump he landed on the floor and crossed over to the door, opening it before he realised that he was totally out of uniform.  
  
Sam Carter looked back at Jonas from the doorway, surprised and embarrassed at the same time. He was wearing a tight grey T-Shirt with short sleeves that fell to just below his navel, and black standard-issue boxer shorts that were a little too baggy for his slender, toned frame. He was barefoot, and his hair was tousled and stuck up in different angles with fluffy tufts. She dragged her eyes back up to his face, feeling a flush of embarrassment across her cheeks. She's been standing there ogling him, and hadn't even said hello.   
  
"Uh..hey," she smiled, nervously twisting her hands together, "I'm sorry - did I wake you?"  
  
"No," Jonas smiled, "Come in."  
  
She accepted his invitation and stepped inside the darkened room, noting that the television was on and smiling at the bowl of cornflakes on the top of his bed.   
  
"Hungry?" she asked, indicating the cornflakes.  
  
"Always," he grinned, walking back into the room and watching the television for a few moments again. "Sam - what's this?"  
  
Sam looked at the screen. "It's called a Casino, Jonas. People go there to play games to try and win more money, and sometimes they do - but more often they lose it all and go home bankrupt."  
  
"Oh," Jonas said, digesting the information, "Thanks, Sam. I was wondering what it was."  
  
"No problem," she smiled, getting back to the original reason she'd arrived, "How are you, Jonas?"  
  
He looked surprised by her question. "How am I? I'm fine, Sam. How are you?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine too," she said, putting her hands in her pockets.  
  
Jonas studied her intently for a moment. She looked exhausted, and her BDU's were almost hanging from her body where they were too big. There were bags under her eyes and she looked terribly sad.  
  
"Liar," he said softly.  
  
She looked at the floor, not knowing what she should do.   
  
"I...I should..." she began, but Jonas interrupted her.  
  
"Are you doing anything tonight?" he asked, absently rubbing the hem of his t-shirt.  
  
"Uh, no," Sam said, caught off-guard by his question, "Why?"  
  
"Go get changed and I'll meet you topside in fifteen minutes," Jonas said, with a smile playing around the corners of his mouth.  
  
"Where are we going?" she asked.  
  
"Wait and see," he replied, shutting the door gently behind her.  
  
**********  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Sam found herself topside waiting for Jonas, and wondering why she was doing so. Part of her wanted to stay with Jack, to try and work things out with him, but the other part of her remembered his words: 'Leave me alone.' Tonight he would get his wish. Besides, there was nothing wrong in going out with a friend. Was there?  
  
That wholly depended on where they were going, of which she had no idea. She also had no idea of how they were going to get there, because Jonas couldn't drive and she only had her motorbike with her. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard soft footsteps behind her and turned around to face Jonas.  
  
He was dressed in black jeans that were a wonderfully tight fit, with a white shirt over the top that fell to his hips. His shoes were smart and he carried a black jacket over his shoulder. He looked, in short, amazing.  
  
Jonas caught Sam staring at him and asked, worriedly, "Is this okay?"  
  
"It's fine," she said with a smile. Mighty fine, she thought, but said nothing else.  
  
"You look nice," he ventured, not wanting to offend her.   
  
She was wearing her black leather trousers with a wine-red shirt that had a v-neck and short sleeves. She wore her black jacket over the top, as it was beginning to get colder.  
  
"Thank you," she smiled, feeling a blush rise in her cheeks again and being thankful that it was dark.  
  
"Okay," he said, a grin appearing on his face as he walked closer, "Let's go."  
  
"Jonas," she smiled, "I'm not going to ask you where we're going, but can you tell me how?"  
  
Jonas stopped and his grin vanished for a moment. "I..uh...kinda forgot to think about that bit."  
  
Sam laughed. "C'mon, Jonas, we can take my bike - you just tell me where to go."  
  
"Sure," he replied, embarrassed at his stupid mistake but glad that Sam was resourceful enough to think of a way.   
  
The two of them were soon roaring off on Sam's bike, away from the SGC and the stresses of their work, and towards bigger, brighter things.  
  
**********  
  
Jonas got off of the bike with a huge grin plastered on his face. "That was so cool!"  
  
"First ride on a motorbike?" Sam asked, smiling despite herself. He could always bring a smile to her face, he was so bright and inquisitive and enthusiastic about the smallest things.  
  
"Yeah," he replied, "You've gotta teach me how to ride that!"  
  
"Motorcycle riding, wormhole theory and lock picking," Sam said, "Anything else?"  
  
"I'm sure there will be, but I can't think of any at the moment," he said, "C'mon!"  
  
"Where are we going?" she asked, feeling like a little girl again as she ran along behind him.  
  
Jonas stopped in front of a huge building and smiled, turning back to Sam, who gasped in surprise.  
  
"Jonas, we can't!"  
  
"Come on!" he said, "Who's gonna know?"  
  
With a giggle that she couldn't surpress, Sam took Jonas' hand and they both ran towards the building with a bright neon sign reading: CASINO.  
  
As they neared the entrance, they saw a queue of people outside who were either being accepted or thrown out by two large men in black suits.   
  
"What are they doing?" Jonas asked Sam as they joined the end of the queue.  
  
"They're called bouncers - they decide who gets let in and who doesn't."  
  
"Oh. D'you think they'll let us in?" he asked.  
  
"Well, they never used to let me in anywhere when I was a girl, so I very much doubt it," Sam replied.  
  
Jonas was quiet for a moment, studying who was allowed in and who wasn't. There was a definite difference between the two groups - surely he and Sam would pass as prospective casino-enterers?  
  
As they neared the entrance, Sam began to try and bottle out.   
  
"Jonas, I really don't think this is going to work..."  
  
"C'mon!" he said, grabbing her arm, "The least we can do is try."  
  
When they reached the entrance, the two bouncers regarded them for a long moment.   
  
"Who are you?" the larger one asked, studying Jonas with something like distaste.  
  
"My name is Jonas, and this is..uh...this is my wife Samantha."  
  
Sam bit back a gasp of annoyance and looked at the bouncer in front of her, knowing exactly what he was about to say.  
  
"Get out of here," he growled, directing them to the street corner.  
  
**********  
  
"Sorry," Jonas said, "I thought we could get away with it."  
  
"Don't worry," she said, giving him a playful punch on the arm, "There's plenty of other places we could try."  
  
"Like where?" Jonas asked, his happiness returning.  
  
"Oh, there's nightclubs, bars..."  
  
"They never had anything like this on Kelowna," Jonas said, "I just used to stay in my office and work whilst the others were out."  
  
"Me too," Sam said, "I guess they can tell social rejects when they see them."  
  
"We'll go back tomorrow," said Jonas with a grin.  
  
"With money?" Sam asked, feeling a giggle rising in her throat again.  
  
"Oops!" Jonas said, turning to face her, "Maybe it's a good job we didn't get in after all."  
  
She laughed as Jonas led the way to 'Harry's Bar,' wondering where the night would take her.  
  
"No bouncers here," Jonas said, as they entered the bar that was noisy and smelled of cigarettes.  
  
"What can I get ya?" the barman asked as Sam and Jonas approached the bar.  
  
Jonas eyed the list of drinks thoughtfully, until one caught his eye.  
  
"Sam?" he asked, "What's a Tequila Slammer?"  
  
"Uh, Jonas," Sam said, tugging at his sleeve, "That might not be the best one to start with, it's very.."  
  
Her warning fell on deaf ears, however, as Jonas ordered two and carried them over to a vacant table.  
  
"Here goes," Jonas said, chucking back the drink and slamming the glass down on the table.  
  
He coughed and spluttered for a moment as a fire burned in his belly, but when it was done he looked up at Sam with a smile.  
  
"That was cool! Now your turn."  
  
"I am gonna regret this in the morning," Sam grumbled, before throwing back her own shot.  
  
They stumbled out of the bar at 1am. Jonas was totally absolutely beside-himself drunk, and Sam was trying to hold him up as they walked along the quiet street.   
  
"Wow!" he shouted, "That was great! Now we gonna go home on the brrrrrrrrr bike?"  
  
"We can't, Jonas, we're both too drunk," Sam explained, hoping that her bike would be safe overnight.  
  
"Awwwwwww," he drawled, tripping over his foot and falling to the ground, dragging Sam down with him.   
  
"Uh...sorry," Sam said in embarrassment as she looked down at Jonas, having landed on top of him.  
  
"Ssss'okay," he slurred, as Sam carefully got up and pulled him back to his feet.  
  
"General Hammond is gonna go mad tomorrow," Sam said, wishing that she hadn't allowed herself to let go.  
  
"How'sssss he gonna know?" Jonas asked, almost tripping up again.  
  
"You don't think he'll notice?" Sam asked with a smile, "Jonas, we're both wrecked!"  
  
"Daaamit, I never thoughta that!" Jonas shouted, pretending to hit himself on the head, "Duuuh!"  
  
"You can crash at my place if you like," Sam offered, the words out of her mouth before she could think about them.  
  
"Ssssure!" Jonas slurred, "Thanksss Sssam! You're the bessst!"  
  
**********  
  
They got back to Sam's house at 1:45am. She managed to unlock the door and the two of them stumbled inside, Jonas falling facedown on the carpet.  
  
"Come on, Jonas," Sam moaned, tugging at his arm, trying to raise him from the floor.  
  
His only reply was a grunt, so she dragged his body into her arms and made for her bedroom. She laid him down in her bed and put the duvet over him, intending to sleep on the couch.  
  
She never got there.  
  
As a yawn escaped her throat she sat down on her bed and willed her eyes to stay open. Jonas began to snore gently as she fell back across the pillows beside him, forgetting her plan and falling into a deep, alcohol-induced sleep.  
  
**********  
  
Jonas rolled over in the bed and grunted again as his hand came into contact with...an arm.  
  
His eyes sprang open and he realised that Sam was in the bed with him. At the touch of his hand, Sam had also woken up and looked at Jonas in surprise.  
  
"What...?"  
  
"How come..?"  
  
"Uh, Sam?" Jonas asked, "Do you have a...a bathroom?"  
  
"First hangover?" Sam asked exhaustedly as she watched Jonas begin swallowing repeatedly.  
  
"Mm-Hm," he agreed, and ran off in the direction of the bathroom.  
  
Sam got up and put a hand to her throbbing head - what the hell had she been thinking? Going out and getting drunk when she was supposed to be on duty the next morning was a terrible idea, yet she'd done it anyway. She lurched up off of the bed and into the kitchen, searching for the aspirin that she knew was in the cupboard.  
  
After a few moments' searching, Jonas stumbled into the kitchen and sat down on the floor with his back against the cupboard.  
  
"Hey," Sam offered, sitting down beside him and holding out the aspirin and a glass of water, "This should help."  
  
"Thanks," he said with a grimace, swallowing the tablet after watching Sam swallow hers.  
  
"Jonas, about..." Sam began, but never finished.  
  
"I don't remember much after the slammers," Jonas admitted, "But the fact that we're both dressed says something."  
  
"Yeah," she nodded, "I think I would have remembered if we'd..."  
  
"Yeah, but we didn't," Jonas said abruptly, suddenly worrying that it was rude, "Not that I wouldn't mind..."  
  
Sam looked at him sharply and Jonas groaned deeply. "I'm just making this worse, aren't I?"  
  
"No," she said, "At least we've still..." her voice trailed off as she looked at the clock on the wall.   
  
"Jonas?" she said.   
  
"Hmm?" he asked, his eyes closing in exhaustion.  
  
"We were supposed to be at the SGC an hour ago."  
  
**********  
  
"Colonel O'Neill, do you have any idea where they could be? I know that this is only paperwork, but it needs doing, son."  
  
"I'll try calling them again," Jack grumbled, getting up from his seat. Where the hell was Carter? He didn't care about Jonas, but Carter was different. She knew damned well that she was supposed to turn up on time for briefings, but hers and Jonas' chairs were ominously empty.   
  
Jack felt a wave of jealousy rise within him. What if they'd spent the night together? That would be the last straw. First Jonas had taken his friend Daniel, and now he was going to take his 2IC, Sam? No way, he wouldn't allow it.  
  
He went into General Hammond's office and picked up the phone, dialling Sam's number and tapping his foot impatiently.  
  
Back at Sam's house, Jonas yelped in pain and clutched his head as the telephone rang.   
  
"Oh," Sam groaned, "That's probably the colonel."  
  
She picked up the phone and answered it, hoping she didn't sound too drunk.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Carter? Where the hell are you? It's nearly 11am, for crying out loud!" Jack shouted down the phone.  
  
"My bike's just broken down and my car's at the garage," she lied, looking at Jonas on the floor.  
  
"Why the hell didn't you just ring and say so?" Jack enquired.  
  
"To tell the truth, Colonel, I don't feel very good. I think I'm coming down with a cold or something..."  
  
Jack sighed irritably, "Are you alright? Would you like me to tell Hammond that you're not feeling well?"  
  
"No, no," Sam said hurriedly, "I'll be in by midday, just give me an hour please sir."  
  
"I want to see you in my office the minute you get here," Jack growled, slamming the phone down.  
  
Sam leant back against the sideboard opposite Jonas and sighed.  
  
"I'll get going," Jonas said, "I'll tell the Colonel that I went out to explore the city and forgot to come back or something..."  
  
"Jonas, don't - "  
  
"Really, Sam, it's fine," Jonas smiled, "Let's just pretend we didn't see each other at work, ok?"  
  
"Yeah," she said, "Jonas?"  
  
He turned around in the doorway to face her. "Yeah?" he asked.  
  
"I had a really great night," she admitted, a smile rising to her face.   
  
Jonas smiled back. "So did I," he said, shutting the door softly behind him.  
  
**********  
  
When Sam finally arrived at the SGC she was more or less prepared for the ass-chewing that Jack was about to give her. She and Jonas passed one another in the corridor with nothing more than a muttered 'hello', which left her with mixed feelings. Had she ruined their friendship with just one night, or would they just have to lie low? She didn't like the thought of not spending time with him again, because he'd managed in one night to do something that had taken her twenty years.   
  
She knocked on the door and winced as Jack barked a "Come in."  
  
She went into his office and stood in front of him, taking in his appearance. He clearly hadn't slept well, his face was pale and his feet tapped restlessly on the floor.   
  
"What the hell is going on with you, Carter?" he asked.  
  
"Sir?" she asked, not liking the tone of his voice. He very seldom got angry, especially with her.  
  
"Daniel is gone!" Jack shouted, stunning her, "There's not a damned thing you or I can do about it, so just accept it!"  
  
"What has any of this got to do with Daniel?" Sam replied, shocked.  
  
"Oh, come on Carter! Your car's in the garage, you're bike's busted - for crying out loud, do you think I'm an idiot?"  
  
"No, sir," she replied.  
  
"Pull yourself together! Death is an inevitable part of our job, Carter, and you need to get over it!"  
  
"Yes, sir," she said, unable to say anything else.   
  
"The paperwork's in your office," he grunted, "I expect it by 1500 hours."  
  
Sam turned around and left his office, feeling hurt and betrayed. Sure Jack had right to be angry, but he hadn't needed to say those things about her, about Daniel.   
  
Reaching the sanctuary of her lab, she closed the door behind her and did what she was good at - hiding her emotions deep within her and getting down to massive piles of paperwork, Jack's voice still echoing in her mind.  
  
"Daniel is gone!"   
  
"For crying out loud, do you think I'm an idiot?"  
  
"Pull yourself together!"  
  
"Death is an inevitable part of our job - you need to get over it!"  
  
Choking back a sob, she put her head in her arms and closed her eyes against the tide of tears that threatened to spill over her desk.  
  
***********  
  
Jonas sat in his own lab, chewing thoughtfully on the end of a pencil. His paperwork was almost done, which was a substantial achievement considering he had a headache the size of Montana. Jack hadn't even spoken to him when he'd arrived, so he had just rushed to his office to get on with his work, not wanting to agitate the colonel any further.   
  
His mind kept drifting back to Sam. He'd never seen her as happy and free as she was the previous night, she'd finally let herself go and now she was being punished for it. Anger boiled inside of him as he thought that Jack O'Neill would be currently tearing her off a strip for something that had been equally, if not more, his fault.   
  
Slamming the pencil down, he thought about the complicated emotions of the Tau'ri. They were without doubt the most curious and complicated race he'd ever studied, and he'd studied a lot of them. The people around him on Kelowna had been smart, intellectual people with no time for games or play. The people around him now were constantly walking around with shrouds around their true feelings, walls around their hearts.  
  
SG-1 had a week's downtime coming up in a few days, which would hopefully give him some more time with Sam. She had been the first of SG-1 to warm to him, naturally curious and welcoming. Teal'c had come next, even though things had been awkward for a few weeks. He knew that the jaffa accepted his presence, which was more than could be said for Jack O'Neill. He could partly understand his reaction - he still believed that Jonas was responsible for Daniel's death, but that didn't mean he could treat Jonas like something on the bottom of his shoe.   
  
He would make Sam happy again. They could go out on the town, on her amazing bike, steering well clear of the tequila slammers, and just enjoy being alive. Jonas made it his job to do so.  
  
**********  
  
Three days later, it was SG-1's final day of work before their week's downtime.  
  
  
  
Jonas had tried to lie low whilst at work, escaping Jack's wrath. At night-time, however, he'd been out on the town, but he still had a surprise up his sleeve for Sam.  
  
Jack was beginning to mellow a little, Teal'c had been talking to him a lot and Jack found the company of his old friend soothing. Sam had spent most of the three days locked alone in her lab, working. Jonas had tried to check on her several times, but Teal'c had told him that sometimes the Tau'ri wanted to be left alone, and that this was one of those times.  
  
When the clock struck 1800 hours, Jack got up from his desk and stretched.   
  
Finally, a week of no work, no Tok'ra and no troubles. It would just be him and his fishing in Minnesota. Sadness and regret coursed through him when he thought that Carter would definitely not be joining him - he'd put a stop to that himself.   
  
Biting his lip, he pulled on his jacket and made for Sam's lab.  
  
She jumped when she heard the knock on the door of her lab, and was even more surprised when she heard the voice behind it. Slowly she unlocked the door and stood facing her CO.  
  
He offered her a small smile. "Hey, Carter. Whatcha doin'?"  
  
"Just paperwork," she said, trying to avoid the gaze of his handsome brown eyes.  
  
"Carter, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about the other day - I shouldn't have spoken to you like that, I was a jerk. I'm sorry."  
  
Sam smiled weakly back at him. "I'm sorry too."  
  
He pulled her into a gentle embrace, resting his head on hers and closing his eyes. She laid her head against his chest and breathed in the smell of him, feeling herself relax.  
  
"Enjoy your holiday, Carter," he said softly, pulling away from her.  
  
"Have fun fishing," she replied with a smile, feeling a great weight lifted from her heart.  
  
**********  
  
She sat at home later that evening, watching the television, when she heard a knock at the door.  
  
Curiously, she got up and answered it, finding a very, very smiley Jonas on her front doorstep.  
  
"Hey, Jonas," she smiled.  
  
"Sam - come on," he said, "I've got a surprise for you."   
  
"What?" she asked, following him out of the door and into her front yard. When she saw what was in her front yard, she let out a squeal of surprise.  
  
"Do you like it? I thought it'd be better for me to get around town in."  
  
"Jonas, where did you get a Ferrari from?"  
  
"I managed to get into the casino," he grinned, "Turns out I'm quite good at it."  
  
Sam gazed at the magnificent car in front of her. "Jonas, you can't drive."  
  
"Oh. Well, I was hoping that you could...you know...teach me?"  
  
Sam smiled. "Okay, but you're not learning in that beauty - we'll take mine."  
  
**********  
  
"So...that one's the brake, and that one's the accelerator. Got it?"  
  
"Brake...accelerator...got it."  
  
"Okay, so...brake!"  
  
(Accelerating noise, followed by a smash and a car alarm going off)  
  
"Oops."  
  
**********  
  
"Brake...accelerator...got it."  
  
"Okay, now accelerate!"  
  
(Braking noise, followed by squeal of tires and honking of horns)  
  
"Sam, this is a lot harder than you made it look."  
  
**********   
  
THE END  
  
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